Monday, March 17, 2014

Last of the Trumpet Masters

This would be the final post from the Trumpet Masters' session in Switzerland, a concert whose footage is now fully presented on this blog.

"Handsome, dark chocolate, a ladies magnet," is Clark Terry's description of Harry "Sweets" Edison, the subject of the first video. Terry met Sweets first in the Basie band: "Svelte physique draped in expensive threads, dripping with accents of rich gold and pristine diamonds. The note that floated through his trumpet made you feel his statement of 'Cool Daddy. Laid-back.'"

Here is Sweets doing a solo take on I Wish I Knew:

Later, Clark Terry, Joe Wilder and Snooky Young join Sweets for Basie's Jumpin' at the Woodside. Of Basie, Terry has nothing to say but praise:

"He had a built-in sense of tempo. Like mother wit...If Basie contested a tempo, you could bet your life that he was right. It didn't matter if the tempo was fast or slow, if he felt it should be a certain tempo, then that's where it was. And he had a way of getting that feeling through the whole band without having to use linebacker tactics...I caught on quickly to his laid-back method of directing. A nod, a smile, or a slight move of his shoulders - just pure connection."

The other clips from this concert can be found by following these links: